Fruit-jar wrench



' Oct. 23 1923. 1,471,353

A. PIHL FRUIT JAR WRENCH Filed Sept. 16. 1922 `Patented Oct. 23, 1923.

ALBERT PIEL, F MURRAY, UTAH.

FRUIT-JAR WRENCH.

Application filed September 16, 1922. Serial No. 588,815.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT PIHL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Murray, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Jar lVrenches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to rovide a simple and efficient tool by means o which the cap or cover of a jar, such as that commonly known as a Mason fruit jar, may be readily secured to or removed from the jat.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a circular plate formed with a plurality of radial grooves in which are mounted radially movable jaws which are adapted to engage the jar cap.. These jaws are moved radially to engage the cap or to be disengaged therefrom by a handle having at its inner end a circular plate formed with curved slots surrounding the center of the late into which project pins carried by t e jaws.

The jaw carrying plate and the jaw opera ing plate are pivotally connected with each other and when the handle is turned relatively to the jaw carrying plate the jaws are moved radially to either grasp the cap or to be disengaged therefrom. The slots are so formed that when the pins are in the mid dle parts of the slots, the jaws are distended, but when the pins are at either end of the slots the jaws are drawn inwards. In ths way when the handle is moved in either direction, the jaws may be made to gras the cap and when moved further in one irection the wrench will unscrew the cap, or when moved in the o posite direction it will screw the cap on to t e jar.

Preferably the wrench is provided with a bottle opener and a can opener, the bottle opener being formed on the end of the wrench handle, and the can opener being formed by the pivot pin of the wrench plates and by a cutter adjustably mounted on the handle.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a jar wrench embodying my invention and indicates how it is applied to a jar cap.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the wrench.

Figure 2a is a sectional view showing the manner of pivotally connecting the two plates to each other.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the jaws extended to their full extent.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the jaw carryingr plate showing the grooves therein and one of the jaws mounted in a groove.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing the jaws partially retracted.

'The jaw carrying plate A (Figure 5) is circular and is provided with a plurality if, wide, radial orooves c in which the jaws B are mounted to slide. The grooves may be formed by a circular plate c and sectorshaped plates c which may be soldered or otherwise secured to the plates c.

Each jaw consists of a wide, flat, radial parto having a curved flange b at its outer end which extends at right angles from the plate A and may be roughened on its inner side to enable it to take firm hold of a jar cap. Each jaw carries a pin C which extends upwardly from it. The jaw operating plate D is circular and of the same diameter as the plate A. It is pivotally connected with the plate A and in order to reduce friction, the late A is formed with a boss a which hol s the plates a slight distance apart. The two plates are pivotally connected with each other by a pin E in the manner illustrated in Figure 2 but other devices for this purpose may be employed.

The plate A is formed with a plurality of curved slots d surrounding the center of the plate. These slots are eccentric, that is, the middle part d of each slot is further from the center of the plate than the two ends d2 no so that when a pin C is in the middle part d1 ofthe slot, the jaw will be moved outwards, but when the pin is at either end of the slot, the jaw will be moved inwards. By this arrangement, when the handle is moved to such an extent that the pins C are in the middle parts of the slots the jaws are extended and the wrench may be readily applied to or withdrawn from the jar cap, but when moved to bring the pins to either end of the slots, the jaws will be moved inwards to grasp the cap and by a further movement of the handle the cap may be unscrewed or screwed on to the jar as desired.

The handle F extends radially from the plate D and at its outer end is preferably providedwith a bottle opener J of well known form, and in order to increase the utility of the tool, I preferably provide it with a can opener. For this purpose the pin E is prolonged and tapered so that it may be driven into the end of a can, and a cutter G is provided for cutting a circular opening in the can around the pin E. This cutter is pvotally connected with a frame H mounted to slide on therhandle F so that it may be adjustable to cans of diffe-rent diameters.

I claim as my invention:

x 1. A jar wrench, comprising a plate provided with radial grooves, jaws mounted to slide radially in said grooves and carrying jaw operating pins, and a plate pivotally conn cted with the jaw carrying plate formed with slots into which the pins extend and the middle portions of which are further from the center of the plates than their ends.

2. A jar wrench, comprising a plate provided with radial grooves, jaws mounted to slide radially in said grooves and carrying jaw operatingr pins, and a plate pivotally connected with the jaw carrying plate formed with slots adapted to receive said pins, each of said slots having its middle art further from the center than each of its ends, and each end of each slot being the same distance from the plate center.

3. A jar wrench, comprising a plate provided with a handle and having guiding slots therein, the middle portions of which are farther from the pivotal center of the plate than their ends, a second plate pivot/ed to the first, jaws having body portions, means for guiding said body portions in a right line between the two plates, said body portions provided with pins extending into Said slots, whereby the turning of the single handle in either direction causes the jaws to exert a gripping action.

4. A jar Wrench, comprising 'two plates pivotally connected and only one of which is provided with a handle, one of said plates having slots therein` the middle portions of which are farther from the pivotal connection of the plates than their ends, jaws having body portions, means for guiding said body portions in a right line between said plates, said jaws having engaging portions beyond the periphery of the plates, and pins carried by said jaws and extending into the slots whereby the turning of the handle in either direction Qauses the jaws to exert a gripping action.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

A ALBERT PIHL. 

